New to forum...checking in
 

I am 53, and had let my weight slowly climb towards 220, with the last 5 or 6 pounds being added in the last 2 years since I retired from the Army Reserves. I had done Atkins 10 years ago, and it helped me drop 15 lbs before I wandered back to my old eating habits.

I am lucky that I do not gain weight quickly, but the march of time and corn chips had its affect on me.

I am relatively active, thanks in large part to a 15 year old son that I enjoy doing things with. We backpack a couple times a year, hike, hunt, and recently (last 6 months) have been lifting weights to get him stronger for wrestling.

I started this round of Atkins immediately after returning from a family vacation to Turks & Caicos. The impetus was several fold:

- Be able to wear the pants in my closet again
- Look and feel better, for me and my wife
- Prepare for the next great adventure, a MT Rainier climb with my son in the spring of 2018. I figure that not having to carry 30 extra pounds up Rainier will be a good thing:-)

I am 73.5 inches, and weighed between 218 and 220 when I started on 7/19. When last I weighed myself (2 days ago) I was 205.4. Plan to wait a week to step on the scale again so I can hopefully see a 1**. My goal for now is 190, but I may push that to 185 (what I weighed when I got married 26 years ago).

I am not a strict carb counter, but I have not wandered from the approved Atkins low carb list for the induction phase. My biggest 'sins' so far have been using a tasty balsamic vinegar with olive oil over salad, snacking on a few pistachios (only in the last week, under 10), and 1/2 a wheat beer when my sister and her husband visited (1.5 weeks ago). I estimate my carbs have been consistently below 30 since I started this.

What I miss most: Beer, sushi, ice cream, chips and salsa, pizza.

I do plan to cheat when I hit 195 and go out for sushi with my son, then right back to it. Ultimately, I do plan to get back to normal eating, although with greatly diminished snacking, sweets, empty carbs, once I hit 190 or so. With the exercise I will be doing to get ready for Rainier it should not be a problem....but I will watch more closely this time:-)

I think low carb will be a great training tool for your preparation to climb Rainier. And who knows, you may want to continue to eat this way after the adventure. Wait and see :)

In the mean time welcome and good luck sir!

Hi Sniggle,

I am new too. I see you said that one of the things you miss most is pizza. I have a daughter that goes to the UofA and works part time doing pizza delivery for Pizza Hut and even she says that my low-carb pizza is better than Pizza Hut!

I was actually shocked at how good this recipe was because the only other time I tried eggplant, I hated it. Try this just for grins:

Slice an eggplant into thick slices about 1/3 to 1/2 inches thick and lightly spray both sides with the spray olive oil and lightly salt. Bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees, turning once half way through. Remove from oven and let cool for about 10 minutes.

I used cheap pizza sauce with basil "food club" brand that has 7 grams carbs in a quarter cup - I only used about one teaspoon per slice of eggplant. Next I loaded it down with mozzarella chesse and topped it off with an even layer of pepperoni covering the whole thing and stuck it back in the oven until the pepperoni looked "done" with the edges curling up.

It's was surprisingly delicious!

TusconBill,

First off, most pizza is way better than Pizza Hut :lol:

That being said, the recipe sounds great! I will definitely try soon. In fact, I just picked up some shaved steak that was on sale, so I bet I could steal the eggplant 'bread ' idea and make a cheese steak....mmmmm.

Thanks for the recipe..I owe you one.

Good morning Tuscon bill & Sniggle, congrats to both of you for making the choice to get into better shape and health, you will find tons of support on this forum, lots and lots of info, in fact sometimes it is a bit overwhelming. My advise, take one day at a time, celebrate small victories and enjoy the ride. As Thud said, maybe you will decide to make this WOE a way of life, stop by sometime, Best of Luck, ttyl

Welcome Sniggle :wave:
Pizza idea for any place...ask them to skip the crust. Put toppings in a foil pan and bake. Win...win. They get the same money for giving you less food and no time spent with crust, you eat only the low carb toppings you want. Sub pork rinds for chips with salsa (most are lowish in carbs). There are some ultra LC beers (you test the flavor) And Keto ice cream recipes everywhere. Even simplier, use frozen berries and cream whizzed in a food processor to a soft-custard consistency. You would reach your goals faster by keeping it simple with basic Atkins food and not venturing into ice cream making, but the options are out there for someone not strictly counting carbs.
Off to a great start...all the best,

Well, I hit a milestone. 199.2 this morning!!!

It has been many years since I saw a '1' on the scale.

Feels good, and looking forward to 190....although I may need to buy some new pants as I have been sporting the man belly for so many years. A good problem to have.

Awesome way to go Sniggle!

Woo Hoo...you go, that is awesome. Congrats on the milestone, I bet it feels great. ttyl

I am 60 days into my low carb journey, and am pleased with where I am. After 60 days, consistently below 30 carbs (I just ballpark it), my observations are:

Pros:
- My heartburn is gone. I used to go through a large bottle of antacid tablets every 45 days, and often had bad acid reflux when I went to bed. I do not know if it is the lack of alcohol, or the carbs, or a combination, but I have not needed an antacid tablet since the day I started.
- Lost 25 lbs, and I can now wear all the pants in my closet.
- The middle age gut is essentially gone....Poof. Pretty amazing really.
- My appetite has moderated significantly. I can go longer without eating, and I no longer get testy when I have not eaten. I also find myself choosing not to eat too much, not because I am consciously trying to but because I am satisfied.
- The wife likes the fact that I am getting back the body I had when I was 30.
- I can now run over 3 miles....I actually ran around the neighborhood shirtless today:-)
- I spend much less on fast food when driving to appointments (actually, I think I have had 1 McDonald's salad in the last 60 days, when before I would eat a fast food lunch 2-4 days a week).

Cons:
- I do not sleep as soundly as I used to.
- I miss beer and pizza....separately and together:-(
- The size 38 pants (3 pair) I bought in June as I prematurely surrendered to my man gut are too big for me now.

I will admit that I have started to treat myself here and there. I went to five guys with my son and had a bacon cheeseburger on a bun instead of a lettuce wrap (no fries of course). I have also been having a small square or 2 of chocolate in the evening (about 5 grams cards) (Chocolate is good). Otherwise, I am on plan. For instance, today I had:

Breakfast - 1 hard boiled egg, 1 cheddar cheese stick, tea and coffee
Lunch - Cooked shrimp (11 or 12, smallish medium) on a bed of lettuce, mushrooms and 6 cherry tomatoes, with a low carb dressing, 1 cheese stick
Snack - 3 beef sticks
Dinner - Roast chicken and salad (and maybe a square of chocolate:-)

Satisfying journey so far.

What a wonderful run down, congrats on entering one-derland, your 195 treat is within grabbing distance! Thanks for sharing and looking forward to following your journey as you reach and MAINTAIN your goal weight!! :rheart:

I was digging through some old army medical records I had. In my quick look, I found medical exams from 1998 and 2002, and I was 195 and 197 respectively.

That means that my weight from yesterday, 192.6 lbs, is the lowest I have been in probably 20 years. Kinda cool :)

I finished locking in all the logistics for the MT Rainier climb with my son, which will take place June 25-June 28, so now I have 9 months to get myself in peak shape. As he is a minor, we will either succeed or fail together, and I do not want to what holds him from the summit.

Mt. Rainier here you come...best of luck to you keep on keepin' on. You got this, have a positive day, ttyl